Carpet finishing tool



Nov. 10, 1970 R. A. SPARKS CARPET FINISHING TOOL 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 18, 1968 J0/m Sparks 7 INVENTOR.

3 BY Z/l m W Jim- ATTOZA/EY R- A. SPARKS CARPET FINISHING TOOL 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Nov. 10, 1910 Filed Mafch 1a, 1968 SR. M w am 0 PV .r 5m A 4m Filed March 18, 1968 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 WMHINNIIIIIW John 4. Spark:

INVENTOR.

JTTJEIVAY United States Patent 3,538,523 CARPET FINISHING TOOL Robert A. Sparks, Clearwater, Fla., assignor to S & S Tool Company, Clearwater, Fla., a corporation of Florida Filed Mar. 18, 1968, Ser. No. 713,719 Int. Cl. B25f 1/00; B26b 11/00 US. Cl. 7-141 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A carpet finishing tool for setting and, if desired, trimming carpet automatically, including a power source which drives a vertically reciprocating setter blade, and, if desired, a knife blade forwardly offset from said setter blade as a guide runner, as said tool slides along the gap between usual anchoring strip and the wall adjacent said strip.

This invention relates to a carpet finishing tool and more particularly to a tool which automatically cuts and sets the edges of carpet to finish its inlay. If desired the tool may be designed to only set carpet.

It has been the normal procedure, when laying carpet, to rigidly afiix an achor strip of wood or lath near the baseboard. This strip is generally positioned parallel to the baseboard. This strip is generally positioned parallel to the baseboard but slightly offset so as to provide a narrow gap between the strip and baseboard. (FIG. 4) Small nails or points project upwardly from the strip and are angled slightly toward the wall. A pad, usually of fibre or wafiled sponge rubber is then positioned within the strips along each wall and the carpets placed over the pad. The carpet is then stretched and the edges engaged with the nails on the anchor strips thereby preventing the carpet from thereafter drawing away from the wall. After all wrinkles are removed and the carpet is taut, the excess edge portions of carpeting along each wall are cut off and the loose edges are turned under, or set, into the narrow gap between the anchor strip and baseboard.

To prevent the edge of the carpet from fraying or coming loose, or out of the gap, it is necessary that the gap be sufiiciently narrow to provide a tight fit. It is also necessary to have uniformly cut edges and of proper length whereby a good fit within the space is obtained. If otherwise, a professional inlay appearance will not result and the defect may even adversely effect the life of the carpet.

For these reasons, cutting and setting of carpet has generally required custom hand fitting operation to provide the desired professional inlay appearance. Naturally, under such circumstances, the cost of installation is high. Indeed, with the recent high acceptance of inlaid carpeting, experienced craftsmen are at a premium.

Motorized carpet cutters, such as the one illustrated in US. Pat. 3,224,092, have been devised to ease the burden. However, as seen in the drawing of this patent, the cutting head is rather complicated in structure and possibly in use. Even then, the carpet edge must still be set between the anchor strip 'and the wall and much hand labor is still required.

It is an object of this invention to provide a carpet finishing tool which automatically cuts carpet to the proper length.

Another object is to provide a tool which will properly set carpet between the anchor strip and the wall.

Still another object is to provide a combination of the above tools.

A further object is to provide a tool which will reduce Patented Nov. 10, 1970 'ice the time and labor involved in cutting and setting carpet.

A still further object is to provide a tool which will reduce the cost of laying carpet.

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

The invention, in its most simplified form comprises a power head with a skate-like guide runner. The runner slides along the usual gap between the anchor strip and baseboard. Multiple roller wheels ride on the carpet above the anchor strip while a vertically reciprocating knife blade cuts the carpet to proper length and a vertically reciprocating setter blade stamps or taps the cut edge of the carpet into said wall-anchor strip gap. A professionally fitted inlaid carpet results.

The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combination of elements, and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth, and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of the cutter-setter embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of said tool of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side view of a second setter only of the the embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 4 is a front view of said tool of FIG. 3.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

As seen in the drawings, the invention comprises a powered hand tool. A power source 10, preferably an electric vibrator, drives a vertically reciprocating power shaft 12. The shaft 12, at its lower end, has a connector 14 which secures to a setter blade as described hereinafter. A skate support 16, consisting of two downwardly extending plates 16:: and 16b in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, rigidly affixed to the lower side of power source 10, supports a skate-like guide runner 18. Support 16a is angled so as to offset runner 18 from the wall 20. A horizontal carpet feed slot 22 is provided on the leading edge of runner 18 through which the edge portion of the carpet to be trimmed is fed. Rollers 24, journalled in bracket 30, 'and rollers 26 and 2-8, journalled direct to the outer side of runner 18 (FIG. 3), ride on the carpet above the anchor strip. If desired, to aid in grasping of the carpet, a spoke-wheel 35 may be provided On the inside of runner 18 to enable better trimming of the edge of carpet, especially when the excess carpeting is minimal. The free ends of the spoke-wheel dig into the carpet as it is cut and hold it until out.

A small curved recess 36 is provided in the lower edge or runner 18- at the end of shaft 12 to enable a carpet setting action as will be described hereinafter. Connected to the lower end of shaft 12- via connector 14 is a setter blade 38. The blade is blunt and preferably tapered along its leading edge to insure that it can only act as a stamping or setter blade and does not damage the carpet. A vertically reciprocating knife blade 40 offset forwardly of blade .38 by a rigid spacer 42 engages the carpet and cuts it prior to the carpet being engaged by the setter blade. Spacer 42 should provide a distance of about two inches between blades to enable ideal operation of the setter blade 38 The knife blade 40 bears against runner 18, at the rear portion of carpet feed slot 22 to act as a scissor in cutting the carpet being fed through the slot. Channeled guide wheel 43 and guide wheel 44 support the back end of setter blade 3-8 and cutter blade 40, respectively.

Handles are provided, as convenient, preferably in the locations shown of handles 46, 48, and 50. A trigger switch 52 to activate motor 10 is located on handle 46. And a working light such as 54 shown in FIG. 1 is preferably provided at a convenient position so as to illuminate the working area.

In the normal operation of the carpet finishing tool shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, after the carpet has been laid and stretched, runner 13 is placed within gap 5'6 between strip 58 and baseboard 60. The edge portion 62 of the carpet is placed in the opening of slot 22 and then trigger switch 52 is activated to start motor 10 and activate light 54. Shaft 12 thereby vertical-1y reciprocates setter blade 38 and cutter blade 40 in unison. The operator now slides the apparatus forward guided by wall 20, against which the apparatus bears, and gap '56. Then carpet 62 is fed into slot 22 and under wheel 24 which serves to press the carpet against the lower edge of slot 22 while knife blade 40 scissor cuts the carpet above said edge rearward of cutter blade '40, so that it lies flat against wall 20. Subsequently setter blade 38 stamps the edge of carpet 62 into gap 56 existing between the anchor strip 58 and wall 20 in a continuous and uniform manner. The carpet 62 is thus finish trimmed in a professional inlay manner.

A second embodiment of the apparatus of this invention is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. This embodiment is for use with carpets which have been previously cut to size, either by hand or with specialized cutting equipment. In this embodiment the cutting mechanism of the apparatus has been eliminated and the remaining elements merely serve to set carpet 62 into gap 56. It should be noted that, since cutting is not involved, a smaller power source 10 may be used. Like the' apparatus of FIGS. 1 and 2, it too has a runner 18 with a recess .36 to facilitate carpet setting operation and wheels 26 and 28 to roll on top of the carpet above the anchor strip 58. A scuff pad 64 to prevent damage to the finish of Wall 20 may be used. Indeed it may be used with either embmodiment.

LAD on-off switch 66 for the motor 10 is provided on the top instead of the trigger switch 52 of the cuttersetter embodiment.

Basically, the operation of this embodiment, with respect to setting of carpet, is the same as the setting operation of the earlier described apparatus. Runner 18 is positioned within gap 56 and the apparatus is slid along to tap the cut edge of the carpet into gap 56. Rollers 26 and 28 meanwhile ride on the carpet above the anchor strip.

In use, the apparatus described not only saves time and eflFort through the replacement of hand Wonk by machine power, but it also insures an even cut of uniform length along the carpet edge.

It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, among those made apparent from the preceding description, are efliciently attained, and, since certain changes may be made in the above construction without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all 4 matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

Now that the invention has been described, what is claimed is:

1. A carpet finishing tool for laying inlaid carpet comprising a power head, a skate-like guide runner secured to said power head and capable of riding in the usual 2 gap between an anchor strip and wall adjacent thereto in customary inlay carpet installation, a vertically reciprocating setter blade operatively connected to said power head and in sliding abutment with said guide runner, the lower end of said setter blade extending to a point whereby the trimmed edge of/said carpet may be stamped into said gap.

2. The carpet finishing tool of claim 1 wherein said guide runner has a plurality of wheels which ride on said carpet above said anchor strip to further aid in guiding said tool during use.

3. The carpet finishing tool of claim 1 wherein said power head is of a size to abut against said wall during use, and a scuff pad afiixed to the abutting side of said power head.

4. The carpet finishing tool of claim 1 wherein said guide runner has 'a curved recess in its lower edge adjacent said setter blade to facilitate the stamping action of said blade.

5. The carpet finishing tool of claim 1 wherein a reciprocating knife blade is offset forwardly from said setter blade by a rigid spacer, said knife blade abutting against the side of said guide runner, a feeder slot in the forward end of said runner, said knife blade traversing across said slot to elfect a scissor-like cutting action on carpet as it is fed through said slot.

6. The carpet finishing tool of claim 5 wherein said sk'ate has a wheel adjacent said feeder slot to depress the carpet fed into said slot against the lower edge of said slot.

7. The carpet finishing tool of claim 1 wherein said power source is an electric vibrator.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,224,092 12/1965 Nagel 30273 ROBERT C. RIORDO'N, Primary Examiner R. V. PARKER, JR., Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 

